As I mostly write about books these days, I tend to forget that statistically speaking, it’s my skincare posts that have the most readers. I looked at my stats recently, after perhaps a year of not paying any attention, and it’s frankly insane that there are more than 100 000 people who have read me going on and on about The Ordinary. Most of the top 10 posts are about skincare, with a couple of perfume ones thrown in. So I thought it may be time for a skincare update, as it’s been almost a decade since I wrote some of these articles.

Overall, I try to buy fewer products these days and write less about specific (new) stuff that makes people feel they need it. But I still buy a lot, so be warned, this is not a minimalist post. One can argue, and one would be right, that many people would be perfectly fine with a cleanser, moisturiser and SPF. But we all know that I am not that person, so the following is an honest account of what I put on my face, not a rallying cry for you all to do the same.

I have also been somewhat annoyed recently by people who claim that skincare in general is a huge scam. First, you have to have pretty good skin to make these statements, as most people with rosacea or acne or very dry skin cannot or do not want to forgo skincare entirely. And many of them have been helped by a thoughtful use of products. While I don’t have any serious skin concerns, I would still argue that my routine has served me well – I am 45 now, with reasonably good skin*, without Botox, fillers, lasers or any other tweakments**. I have perhaps had two facials in the last five years. So based on my own experience, I am an advocate for a consistent skincare routine – of course, given that this is something you care about. In order to keep this manageable, I will split the overview up into AM and PM parts.

Cleansing. Strictly speaking, one probably doesn’t NEED a cleansing product in the morning, water could work well enough at least for some people. I much prefer using a proper cleanser, though, otherwise my skin feels gunky. I tend to use something like The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser, Glossier Jelly Cleanser, Krave Beauty Makeup Re-Wined or Tata Harper’s Purifying Cleanser, if the skin feels extra congested. In winter, when my skin is drier, I actually often use a cleansing oil in the morning, as it’s easy and feels very comfortable for the skin. I am currently using the Victoria Beckham and Haruharu Wonder cleansing oils and honestly, despite the significant price difference, I don’t feel a huge difference in quality.

Acid. I have scaled back my use of acids significantly over the years. Not because I think they are bad or useless (although I may have been slightly too trigger happy with them at certain points in time), but because regular use of retinoids makes a separate exfoliation step less necessary for me. The only acid product I use regularly, roughly every second morning, is Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, which is based on salicylic acid and helps to manage – although not prevent – my hormonal breakouts. I do have some gentle acids standing by (Josh Rosebrook’s is lovely, although expensive), in case I feel I need them, but I don’t reach for them often.

(Milky) Toner/Essence. I do not include this step every day, but I include it more often than not, especially when I’m dehydrated and/or my serum is not a hydrating one. My skin loses water at an alarming rate, and I find this step helps. I particularly like Dr Ceuracle’s Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence, which is almost a serum. Laneige’s Cream Skin Refiner is also great and a bit lighter. If I do not use an acid toner, I often go for The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner, as it is very gently exfoliating. REN Perfect Canvas Essence is good when you want to look fresher and more plump. I used to love the original SKII essence as well, but as cheaper alternatives have gotten better, I haven’t really missed it much.

Serum. I tend to use a Vitamin C serum almost every morning, as there is quite a bit of consensus among skincare experts that this is the best bet for daytime protection and brightening. I love Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma, Dr Murad’s Vita-C Glycolic and Ole Henriksen’s Banana Bright Vitamin C serums. The last two have the benefit of also including some acid (glycolic acid and PHAs, respectively). I would also vouch for any Medik8 Vitamin C serum and SkinCeuticals’ CE Ferulic is a classic for a reason, but it is pricey and a bit difficult to get, so I haven’t used it for a while. When my skin feels tired of actives, I would use more layers of the toner/essence, a hydrating serum (any decent hyaluronic serum would do) or something like Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum that is more complex than hydrating serum, but more gentle than my Vitamin C products.

Moisturiser. Out of all the product categories, I care least about moisturisers. As long as I like the texture and it does a decent job sealing in everything that I’ve put on my skin up until now, I’m OK with it. I don’t expect my moisturiser to deliver any active ingredients, that’s what the serum is for. What I do need in this category is variety: depending on the environment and the condition of my skin, I may do anything from skipping moisturiser entirely (it usually happens in the summer only) and smothering myself with something pretty rich. Summer Fridays Cloud Dew, Farmacy Honey Halo and Guerlain Black Rose Infusion Cream are some of my favourites. As a rule, I do not use oil in my morning routine, but if I feel like I need some extra oomph, I will mix a couple of drops into my moisturiser (I currently have Guerlain and Sali Hughes oils on the go, from the different ends of the price spectrum).

Sunscreen. If I do not care much about my moisturiser, I am very particular about my SPF. It has taken me a long time to make peace with the fact that I need to wear it every day, which required not putting an SPF on my face that I didn’t actively like. My absolute favourite sunscreen is Ultraviolette Supreme Screen SPF50. Even if I have other nice sunscreens on hand (and I usually do), I always reach for this one first. A very clear number two and an absolutely lovely product is Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics. I still like to keep a tube of Biore for very warm and sweaty days and sometimes I go for Suqqu, Cle de Peau or La Mer when I feel I want to have a small but luxurious bottle for travel. But there is no rational reason for that.

Eye cream. I do not use eye cream every morning, but that’s not because I believe they are useless. It is absolutely true that you can use your regular skincare also under the eyes and in that case, yes, an eye cream is superfluous. However, it is not always possible or advisable to do that – the main examples being very rich or active products that are not suitable for the eye area. You may also have specific concerns around the eyes (like puffiness) that you want to address with a targeted product. I quite like my eye cream to have some extra brightening effect, so my recent favourites are Ringliht by Sali Hughes x Revolution and Banana Bright by Ole Henriksen.

So this is it, four to seven steps depending on the circumstances. I am pretty religious about my routine, not necessarily because I feel it’s hugely important, but because the habit has become so ingrained that I do it largely automatically. It of course helps that I enjoy the process, so I never have to force myself. The only days when I may end up skipping it is when there is some disruption to my usual schedule, but it’s very rare I forgot to do my skincare entirely.

What does your AM skincare look like? Any questions about mine?

*On the picture, you can see what my skin looks like right after doing my AM skincare, without any filters or makeup. The background is perhaps a bit unusual, but the bathroom was so messy that I couldn’t take a selfie there.

**I am considering doing something about my hyperpigmentation, but I have been considering this for years now, so yeah.